Sidewalks

Walking the Dog

Seattle's New Updated Pedestrian Master Plan Includes $22 Million for Sidewalks

The promised update for the city of Seattle's Pedestrian Master Plan was released to the public last week.

March 27, 2017 - Office of the Mayor Edward B. Murray

Toronto Sidewalk

Toronto Sidewalk Cafes Get Squeezed By Pedestrian 'Clearways'

Proposed rules to enforce wider paths on Toronto city sidewalks for pedestrians and the disabled is creating angst in local operators of sidewalk cafes.

February 18, 2017 - CBC

Sitting

Philadelphia District Council Taking a Hard Line on Unsanctioned Planters and Benches

A bill to require Philadelphia residents to get a letter from their district council before putting a bench or planter in front of their homes faces a petition from 5th Square.

February 7, 2017 - Fifth Square Blog

Sidewalk Closed

For Once, Cars, Not Pedestrians, Make Room for Construction

In a welcome turnabout of the usual state of affairs, a Philadelphia construction site gives a lane of traffic to pedestrians to make up for the three blocks of sidewalk it's taking.

January 11, 2017 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

New York

Bill Introduced to Relieve Congestion—on Sidewalks

New York City has come a long way since the Giuliani days, when sidewalk barriers were placed at intersections to facilitate turning vehicles, thus prohibiting pedestrians from crossing the street.

October 4, 2016 - amNew York

ADA Sidewalk

'Project Sidewalk' App Rates Accessibility

The long, ongoing project of retrofitting sidewalks and curbs to allow access for users of all needs continues. Project Sidewalk puts the power to audit sidewalks for accessibility in your hands.

September 23, 2016 - Greater Greater Washington

Sharrows on Sidewalks?

Generally speaking, bikes on sidewalks are not a good idea, but a federally funded project in Duluth, Minnesota may cause planners to take a second look at the practice.

August 5, 2016 - The Bemidji Pioneer

NYC-crosswalk

Crowded NYC Sidewalks Force Commuters Into the Street

In the 1970s, the fear of getting mugged had some NYC pedestrians walking in the street. Nowadays, commuters are sharing space with cars for a very different reason: the sidewalks are too crowded.

July 7, 2016 - The New York Times

Wheelchair ramp

The Tough Legal Path to ADA Compliance

Next City examines the fruits of a Department of Justice effort to force cities to bring their sidewalks and other public spaces into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

June 14, 2016 - Next City

Sidewalk Shed Scaffolding

New York City's Sidewalk Shed Epidemic

A 1980 law protecting pedestrians from falling debris has spawned a labyrinth of sidewalk sheds: the covered walkways that often support scaffolding. Many of these "temporary" structures linger for years.

February 8, 2016 - Crain's New York Business

Critiquing Minneapolis' Pedestrian Infrastructure Efforts

Is a city with its own fair share of high profile projects on the way doing enough to ensure the safety of pedestrians?

December 30, 2015 - MinnPost

Pedestrian Overpass

What's Wrong With Removing Sidewalks in the Name of Pedestrian Safety?

Broken Sidewalk analyzes an example of the kind of street design decisions continuing to encroach on pedestrian infrastructure around the country. The case study: Ninth Street in Louisville.

December 23, 2015 - Broken Sidewalk

Seattle Moves in a Big Way on Election Day

Prop. 1, a $930 million, nine-year transportation levy backed by Mayor Ed Murray, was approved by 54 percent of Seattle voters on Nov. 3 to the delight of bus, bike, pedestrian and good roads advocates. First order of business: Safe Routes to School.

November 6, 2015 - The Seattle Times

Southeast Seattle Sidewalks

Seattle Has a Low-Cost Plan for 250 Blocks of New Sidewalks

Seattle political leadership recently announced an ambitious plan to build more sidewalks with less money.

November 3, 2015 - The Urbanist

Cracked Sidewalk

Who Will Pay to Fix San Diego's Broken Sidewalks?

San Diego quest to find solutions to repairing damaged city sidewalks continues, with home and business owners potentially facing liability for trip-and-fall accidents

October 3, 2015 - Voice of San Diego

Southeast Seattle Sidewalks

Mapping Fun: Where Seattle Has No Sidewalks

Not all streets are created equal: Some have sidewalks and some don't.

August 21, 2015 - The Urbanist

Japan Shared Space

On the Pros and Cons of Driveways

Whether driveways are anti-urban or 'anti-pedestrian' depends on how we segregate street uses. As shared spaces where they cross sidewalks, driveways inform the wider question: what makes for a good street?

May 13, 2015 - Urban Kchoze

Complete Streets

Bike Lanes Help Sidewalks, Too

A growing body of evidence shows that bike lanes put more people on bikes while also helping those people on bikes stay off sidewalks. The latest example: Honolulu.

May 11, 2015 - People for Bikes

Cracked Sidewalk

Philly Pleads with Landlords to Fix Sidewalks

In some cities, maintenance of sidewalks is not the responsibility of the city but of adjacent landowners. Philadelphia is finding what a hassle this arrangement can be. With countless blocks in disrepair, everyone is passing the buck.

April 22, 2015 - Philadelphia Magazine

Lombard Street San Francisco

Cars Are Expensive (And Other Things the Census Taught Me)

National tables from the 2013 American Household Survey (AHS) are now public.

March 31, 2015 - Michael Lewyn

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This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

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